Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Winter Took a Toll on My Yard
Question: "I took meticulous care of my lawn and plants in the fall in hopes of helping them survive the winter without too much decline. But when the cold weather left, I was surprised at how poor everything looked. What happened?”
Thanks so much for your question. Frozen ice might make your lawn look like a winter wonderland, but the effects of a harsh winter can cause damage that you won't see until after the season. This is a frustrating, and quite common, problem that all homeowners must deal with. Here are just a few of the causes of the general decline in your lawn condition over the winter.
Sun scald occurs when sunshine warms a tree's inner tissue to above the freezing mark. When the sun no longer shines on the tree, the tissue freezes again in a relatively short period of time. This cycle, if repeated, causes serious damage to the tissue and consequently the plant itself. Symptoms that you will see in the spring include brown or black leaves, significant stem or branch dieback, bark splitting on trees, or an overall plant decline.
Winter drying, also known as “winter burn,” happens when leaves continue to lose water which is not sufficiently replaced. This usually occurs in dry or frozen soil. Signs you will see include marginal leaf scorch, tip burn, leaf mottling, leaf drop, or death of entire leaves, twigs, or plants. Heavy snow or ice can also be damaging to trees and shrubs, particularly upright evergreens. While snow can be removed using a long-handled broom, ice usually can't be removed without seriously damaging the plant.
One thing you can do to lessen winter injury is to use wind breaks, composed of burlap or some other thick material, in exposed areas. Another trick to ensuring sufficient moisture in the root zone before the soil freezes is by using mulch to help retain moisture. Maintaining plants by providing necessary nutrients, water, and protection against stress for more tolerance to winter injury is also a good practice.
Thanks so much for your question. Frozen ice might make your lawn look like a winter wonderland, but the effects of a harsh winter can cause damage that you won't see until after the season. This is a frustrating, and quite common, problem that all homeowners must deal with. Here are just a few of the causes of the general decline in your lawn condition over the winter.
Sun scald occurs when sunshine warms a tree's inner tissue to above the freezing mark. When the sun no longer shines on the tree, the tissue freezes again in a relatively short period of time. This cycle, if repeated, causes serious damage to the tissue and consequently the plant itself. Symptoms that you will see in the spring include brown or black leaves, significant stem or branch dieback, bark splitting on trees, or an overall plant decline.
Winter drying, also known as “winter burn,” happens when leaves continue to lose water which is not sufficiently replaced. This usually occurs in dry or frozen soil. Signs you will see include marginal leaf scorch, tip burn, leaf mottling, leaf drop, or death of entire leaves, twigs, or plants. Heavy snow or ice can also be damaging to trees and shrubs, particularly upright evergreens. While snow can be removed using a long-handled broom, ice usually can't be removed without seriously damaging the plant.
One thing you can do to lessen winter injury is to use wind breaks, composed of burlap or some other thick material, in exposed areas. Another trick to ensuring sufficient moisture in the root zone before the soil freezes is by using mulch to help retain moisture. Maintaining plants by providing necessary nutrients, water, and protection against stress for more tolerance to winter injury is also a good practice.
